Image:Mealworms in plastic container of bran.jpg

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Photo of mealworms in bran bedding just before they go into the bird feeder. Photo taken Richard Chambers, August 2004.

This is a closeup photograph of captive mealworms nestled in bran bedding. Mealworms are an excellent food source for a number of reptile and avian pets. We provide mealworms in a bird feeder during nesting season to provide the local bluebirds and mockingbirds an easy source of food when rearing their young.

We order the mealworms from a source on the internet and they usually show up in the mailbox a couple of days later. They are delivered in a mesh bag containing larva and a wadded up piece of paper. The bag is shipped in a cardboard box with a container of the bran bedding.

Since the larva are handy climbers and arrive unrefrigerated, they are spritely little beasts when turning them out of the bag. We have found the best course of action is to shake the bag gently so that most go to the bottom of the bag. Then you untie the mouth of the bag and shake again. Have your container ready on a large counter because some of the mealworms will end up on the counter. Remove the wadded up paper from the bag, shaking it gently as you do so. Then roll the sides of the mesh bag down until you can pour the mealworms into the container eventually ending with the bag inside out. Then pick the mealworms off of the wadded up paper.

The idea of picking mealworms was quite distasteful to me at first but you do get used to it. They are actually dry feeling rather than slimy.

We have a shallow, perhaps 3 inch deep, plastic container of some 6 inches by 10 inches with a lid into which we have punched holes. We dump the mealworms into the container, add the bran, and then put a slightly damp paper towel on top.

We store the container in the refrigerator taking it out to feed the birds every morning. We store the mealworms in the refrigerator as they go a bit dormant taking longer during the larval stage before trying to pupate into adult beetles.

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(del) (cur) 22:33, 4 September 2004 . . Richardelainechambers (Talk | contribs) . . 914×986 (97,283 bytes) (Photo of mealworms in bran bedding just before they go into the bird feeder. Photo taken Richard Chambers, August 2004.)